100 Theme Challange
by TheRedPenofDoom87
Summary: a series of Zutara One-shots based on the list i got...hopefully funny and sweet...just something fun to do...I'm BACK!
1. Introduction

**_HI, so i thought i'd give the 100 theme challange a try...here is the first oneshot, its an introduction and who better to do that than Toph...enjoy, the 2nd chapter of Firefly should be up later tonight and so should the second chapter._**

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Disclaimer: I own nothing but the ideas

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**# 1: Introduction**

"Where did Katara and Zuko disappear to?" Sokka happed to ask. "I haven't seen them in forever? Maybe she killed him..." he muttered hopefully to himself. Or at least that was how Toph took it.

Toph leaned back against the nearest rock and grinned to herself. She might have been blind, but she wasn't stupid. She always prided herself on being able to see what others couldn't or wouldn't. That was the thing about people that Toph had learned; people only saw what they wanted to see, not always what was there. Sight, she decided screwed with your mind too much as was happy for maybe the fifteenth time today that she didn't have it. She shrugged.

"They said they were going to look for firewood..."

Toph held back a snort. Wow, Sokka had actually swallowed the lie Katara fed him without choking at all. Then again, Sokka couldn't hear the lie as it slipped from between Katara's lips. He couldn't hear how her heart sped up as he considered her words and then how it relaxed as he accepted it. "Well, Snoozles..." Toph began. "I can't actually see, so ..."

She could hear Sokka fuming at her. It was a funny sound, almost like a bee buzzing and a pygmy panther growling. "You know what I meant..."

She shrugged again. "Nope, haven't _seen_ them all afternoon." If Toph was anything besides stupid, she was loyal. Katara should tell her brother what was going on in the afternoons when they went "collecting firewood" or "foraging for food", not Toph. Toph would spare Sokka the violent urge to make sure that there would be no more heirs for Zuko and then wish he'd left the prince in that prison they'd visited a few days ago. As far as Aang was concerned, Toph shook her head. If she spilled the beans now, the Avatar would never master all four elements; he'd go into the Avatar State and kill Zuko without remembering he'd done so.

Toph was generous and loyal and not stupid. So she lifted her feet off the ground so she wouldn't have to see anymore of Katara's and Zuko's afternoon in one of the less used and abandoned rooms in the temple.

"Are you sure you're not lying to me?" Sokka demanded.

"Totally sure," Toph assured him with a grin.

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_i love Toph...comment and i will love you forever..._


	2. Love

_**Here's theme 2!! **_

**_disclaimer: I own nothing!!_**

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_**#2. Love**_

Katara loved big. Her love overflowed and engulfed all those around her. They knew it too. You simply couldn't resist being pulled in by her love; it was like a magnet. A force you just couldn't pull away from. It was easy for her to love; it came as naturally to her as breathing did. She was good at it. She always had been and probably always would.

She supposed it stemmed from losing her mother so early. Katara taken on her mother's role as nurturer and care-giver to no one's surprise. Sokka pretended not to be dependent on her love and affection, but Katara knew better.

That was one of the things Katara loved about Sokka; he pretended to not need Katara but in reality, they weren't whole without each other. Sure, they fought and argued like siblings would, but they knew in the depths of their souls that they would always be there for each other.

As far as Toph was concerned, Katara had never had a sister she loved Toph in a way that she might love a sister. She loved Toph's booming laugh and her unique ways of seeing things. She loved looking out for Toph; making sure she didn't do anything too reckless or silly, being sure that Toph all of her vegetables, even if she made faces.

Aang was easy to love. He was almost easier to love than Sokka was. His naturally high-spirited nature made him the funniest person to be around. He made her forget that they were in the middle of fighting a war and that one wrong step could spell the end for all of them. Aang, however, really _loved_ her. In the way that Katara still didn't understand yet. He'd kissed her on the day of the invasion and while it was...unexpected, Katara couldn't return the emotion.

Zuko was another matter all together. When he looked at her with those burning gold eyes, she felt all her bones liquefy and she couldn't stop the blush from rising on her cheeks. And there were moments, when he was sitting next to the fire and the light was glinting off his ebony hair and all Katara wanted to do was sit in his lap and run her finger through it. Somehow she knew it would be like silk threads and she had to sit on her hands until the urge passed.

And when he smiled...Katara had to bit the corners of her lips to keep from mirroring his expression. Whenever his hand accidently brushed against hers, Katara pushed back the urge to lace her fingers through his and feel the warmth he could offer. She was always keenly aware of where he was and avoided being in a room alone with him for any length of time.

She had to hold it together for Aang's sake, for Sokka's too. Toph, she suspected, already knew. There was no denying it, Katara thought to herself, she was _in_ love with Zuko.

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_eeeeehhhhhh...yay! zutaraness!!_


	3. Light

**_Here's #3...just a short little blurb...its not my favorite..but let me know what you think_**

**_disclaimer: i own nothing._**

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**#3. Light**

Knee-deep in the sunlit pool, Katara and Aang practiced water bending. Toph had flopped down on her back with her feet floating in the water. That was as close to the water as she would ever get, or so she informed him. Suki and Sokka were off in the deeper parts of the pool, splashing around like a couple of toddlers.

There was a flash of light and the next thing he knew, he was completely soaked. He shook his head, trying to get as much water out of his eyes. "Do you mind?" He snapped, running his fingers through his soaked hair.

Katara stood with one hand on her hip and the other balancing a slowly revolving blob of water in the other. "What? Afraid of a little water?"

"No, I'm just a little opposed to sneak attacks, that's all." He retorted with a straight face, he tried to stand but then slipped on a slick rock, landing head first in the water. When he'd resurfaced, Katara had thrown her head back and was laughing like a maniac. But as she did, small bubbles floated up and caught the light; they sparkled like ten thousand stars floating up toward the sky.


	4. Dark

**_and here's #4..._**

**_disclaimer: I own nothing_**

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**#4. Dark**

"The fire's almost out," Zuko stated.

"And?" was Katara's snarky reply.

"Aren't you going to bed?"

"Aren't you?"

"I guess not..."

"I like it like this..."

"It what?"

"The dark."

"Why?"

She shrugged. "It's quiet and it's sort of like a blanket. It covers everything up; it's like the great equalizer."

"Equalizer?"

"Everyone's equal in the dark. No one is better or worse. They just are."

Zuko didn't say anything at first. He hadn't considered this before.

"You awake still?" She asked.

"Yeah, just thinking."

"I like the dark."

"I think I do too."


	5. Seeking Solace

**_ehh...this one isn't one of my favorite either...its kinda sweet but...yeah_**

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing_**

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**#5. Seeking Solace.**

Katara watches him walk away from the horrific scene in front of the palace. She can't decide if it's shock or sadness that is driving him away but she follows because she knows he really doesn't want to be alone. He just can't take the staring.

Her friends are patched up and together, talking quietly. Aang motioned for her to join them. But Katara won't. She can't. Not when Zuko needs her. While Zuko has proven himself time and time again, he still does not fit in the same category as the rest of them. She can't put her finger on why but he is always a little left of center. Always has been.

She can hear the others calling her. The calls echo against the empty halls, but she keeps on running as she follows after Zuko.

Katara stops suddenly when she finds him standing on a balcony that faces away from the carnage and the smoke. He stands as still as stone, the breeze ruffles his black hair and clothes, but he stands through he can't hear her.

So, stepping quietly and cautiously, Katara reaches him. She reaches up to place a hand on his back, but stops and curls her fingers back against her palm. She opens her mouth but then bites it back. Nothing she could say would make this better.

Screwing up her courage, she winds her arms around his middle and stands up on her tiptoes to press a kiss to the nape of his neck. For a moment, he doesn't move. Then slowly but surely, he presses hands to hers and they breathe together.


	6. Breakaway

_**i loved this one!! the stuff in the italics is being sung on the radio, when it's not, Katara's singing along**_

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing, Nick owns the characters and Kelly Clarkson owns the song._**

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_**#6. Breakaway**_

_Grew up in a small town  
And when the rain would fall down  
I just stared out my window  
Dreaming of what could-be  
And if I'd end up happy  
I would pray (I would pray)_

"Turn that shit down!"

"It's a good song!"

_Trying not to reach out  
But when I'd try to speak out  
Felt like no one could hear me  
Wanted to belong here  
But something felt so wrong here  
So I pray (I would pray)  
I could breakaway  
_"It's Kelly freakin' Clarkson!"

"So what?"

"I have a reputation to uphold-

"Oh, blah, blah your needs!  
I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly  
I'll do what it takes til' I touch the sky  
I'll make a wish  
Take a chance  
Make a change  
And breakaway  
Out of the darkness and into the sun  
But I won't forget all the ones that I loved  
I'll take a risk  
Take a chance  
Make a change  
And breakaway..."  
"Make it stop please!"

"If you stop talking the song will end quicker."

"It will not...just turn it down!"

"NO!"

_Wanna feel the warm breeze  
Sleep under a palm tree  
Feel the rush of the ocean  
Get onboard a fast train  
Travel on a jet plane, far away (I will)  
And breakaway_

_I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly  
I'll do what it takes til' I touch the sky  
I'll make a wish  
Take a chance  
Make a change  
And breakaway  
Out of the darkness and into the sun  
But I won't forget all the ones that I loved  
I'll take a risk  
Take a chance  
Make a change  
And breakaway_

"Katara, please, I'm begging you!"

"SHUSH! This is the best part!

Buildings with a hundred floors  
Swinging around wild indoors  
Maybe I don't know where they'll take me but  
Gotta keep moving on, moving on  
Fly away, breakaway!!"

"How is it that _my_ girlfriend loves this stuff?"

"Um, let's take a look at your CD collection; I-hate-life-music, I-hate-life-music, I-hate-life-music, oh and let's not forget; I-hate-life-music!"

"It's better than this fake bubble-gum fantasy pop crap!"

_I'll spread my wings  
And I'll learn how to fly  
Though it's not easy to tell you goodbye  
I gotta take a risk  
Take chance  
Make a change  
And breakaway  
Out of the darkness and into the sun  
But I won't forget the place I come from  
I gotta take a risk  
Take a chance  
Make a change  
And breakaway, breakaway, breakaway_

"Zuko.."

"What?!"

"The song's over."

"Oh...right."

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_**Again with the snark that is Zutara!!**_


	7. Heaven

_**Here's # 7!!**_

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the Zutaraness...**_

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_**#7. Heaven**_

It was mid afternoon, the early morning rain had let up and the sun was now peeking through the fluffy white clouds. Katara had dragged Zuko away from his bed and blanket, which he used to fortify himself against the "freezing weather" earlier. She'd rolled her eyes at him and finally coaxed him out of bed.

"See," she pointed up at the clouds. "It's not so bad out here."

"Aang and I should be practicing while the sun's out..." Zuko mused.

Katara rolled her eyes. "You have such a one track mind."

Zuko shrugged. "I want him to be finished with his training in a couple of weeks, if not, we're all done for."

"I asked Aang what happened after we die." Katara stated quietly. Personally, she hated talking about the next invasion, but now the subject couldn't be avoided.

"And what did he say?" Zuko asked.

"He said he couldn't tell."

"Why not?"

Katara shrugged. "He said we have to figure out it out for ourselves."

"Some advice," Zuko scoffed.

"I hear that...but-" Katara started them stopped herself.

"But what?"

"What if...one of us dies and has to wait for the rest of us?" Katara flipped onto her stomach and she played with a few blades of grass.

Zuko turned over as well, so that both of them were facing the vast drop of the canyon. Suddenly they were shoulder to shoulder. Katara turned slightly, feeling a blush race up her cheeks from either his proximity or the fierce sunlight. "I don't think it will seem that long of a wait," he told her. "I think time passes differently in the Spirit World."

"What if we don't all go to the Spirit World? What if after I die...I never see...you again?"

Zuko reached over and took her hand. "Not even the Spirits can keep us apart," he smirked. "Besides, anywhere I go with _you_ is heaven, Spirit World or not."


	8. Innocence

_**and here's #8**_

_**Disclaimer: I still own nothing at all**_

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_**#8. Innocence.**_

"You're all right!" Katara throws her arms around Zuko, pulling him close enough to feel him take a deep breath of relief as well. "I was so worried...I heard..."

"It's all right..." he murmurs against her hair, his warm breath sending shivers down her back. "We're all okay..."

"I know..." she cups his cheek and presses a swift kiss to his lips.

"Katara...?" there is a half sputtered, strangled cry that makes Katara spin around. She removes her hands from Zuko's face and rests them against him arm. But Zuko's hands drop from her waist. Katara realized that Aang has seen and heard everything between her and Zuko.

"...Ka-Katara...?"Aang whispers again.

"Aang..please, I-" But the heartbreak in his eyes makes her stop. She hangs her head. "I'm sorry," she whispers. She can't convey how sorry she is to see the innocence crumble from him and land in tattered shadows at his feet.


	9. Drive

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing**_

**_so here's another AU oneshot...i rather like this one._**

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_**#9. Drive**_

Katara loved the big black Trans Am. She wasn't a car expert the way her brother was, but she loved Zuko's car. She loved the way sound it made when Zuko tried to start in the winter. She loved the buttery black leather interior that was as familiar to her as her own skin. And there was the smell. It was a smoky sweet smell, almost like a bonfire with a few burning s'mores...odd, but comforting at the same time.

It made her feel safe and contained and Zuko always seemed to know when she needed it most. Like tonight. He hadn't called or texted, but at about eight thirty, Katara heard the unmistakable rumble of the Trans Am in her driveway.

So, grabbing the first hoodie she could find (which just happened to be one of Zuko's) and tiptoeing past Gran-Gran, Katara grabbed her phone, a pair of flip-clops and raced out to the car. She climbed in and settled back against the seat in one fluid motion.

"Drive," she whispered.

"Where?" Zuko asked as he began backing out the driveway.

"I don't care. Just away from here."

"Are you going to tell me why?"

"Eventually, but..." she glanced over at him. "Please, just drive."

"Your wish is my command."

And just like that, they were speeding down the street. Katara gazed out the window and watched the street lamps disappear as they merged onto the highway. Katara slipped her flip-flops off and pulled her knees up to her chest, lulled by the car's gently purring engine, the smell of both the car and Zuko's hoodie she'd stolen a few days ago. This was what she needed, craved after a day like today.

Suddenly, the opening riff to Green Day's "Wake Me Up When September Ends," came on the radio and Katara reached over and switched the station. Zuko glanced down for a moment but said nothing. His eyebrows rose in a silent question, he kept driving.

"I hate that song," she reminded him with a sneer directed at the radio. "I really, really hate it."

"I know."

"Where are we?" Katara realized that they were no longer on the highway and glanced out the window.

"The beach," He replied as he slowed the car and shut off the engine. She smiled and opened the door and climbed out. "What are you doing?"

"Climbing on your car!" Katara called as she did so.

"I can see that, but why?" He asked, getting out the car as well.

"To see the stars." She answered as if it were the most reasonable answer ever thought of.

Zuko, of course, climbed up next to her. "Katara," he grabbed her hand. "What is going on?"

Katara let out a small sigh and leaned against him.

"You're scaring me. Come on, it can't be that bad..."

"They're shipping my Dad off again." Katara's father, The Admiral, as he was known around town, had only been back from the Iraq war for three months. "I mean, I understand why he has to go, I really do, but...I didn't think he'd be off so soon."

"How long is going to be gone for?"

"About a year, he thinks." Katara whispered. "I miss him already."

"I know...I want to say something to make this better, but I know I can't."

Katara smiled up at him. "You already are making it better,"

"How?"

"You drove."


	10. Breathe Again

_**Disclaimer: I own NOTHING...i will, however, gladly accept Dante Basco as a gift...hehehe...**_

**_Here's 10...the fourth Chapter of Firefly should be up later this afternoon or tomorrow at the latest..i'm having really bad writer's block._**

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_**#10. Breathe Again**_

He's lost her. Somehow in the madness, he misplaced her. The fires around the place no longer rage quite so angrily and here and there he finds pockets of survivors.

Toph, Aang, Iroh, Hadoka are all grouped together...Zuko sees Mai and Ty Lee off on their own. But he still does not see the one he is looking so desperately for. Teo, the Duke, Longshot, Smellerbee are together and all right...no Katara.

"Nephew..." Iroh clasps his shoulder. "What is wrong?"

"Where's Katara?!" Zuko practically shouts.

"I thought she was with her brother..."

Zuko points to where Sokka and Suki are quietly talking, hands laced together. Zuko is instantly envious of them. "She's not..." Bato, Haru, Pipsqueak all trail by, still no Katara...

Suddenly Aang is beside him. "Where's Katara?" the young Avatar asks him.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out! Have you seen her?"

Aang shakes his head. "I'll look from the sky. Toph!" He calls and the blind girl looks up. "We need to find Katara!"

"I'm on it!" Toph yells back and starts feeling with her feet.

Zuko, on the other hand, dives straight into the smoke calling her name over and over until he thinks his lungs will bleed. She could be hurt or bleeding or...NO! He snarls. He won't allow himself to think like that.

He calls her name again and again, feeling it disappear into the thick smoke. But as he calls, he sees something or someone moving through the smoke. He starts to call again but then stops as he sees the bright blue of her shirt. He doesn't even think as he runs toward her.

She limps the last few steps and throws her arms around his neck. He breathes again.


	11. Memory

_**DISCLAIMER: I own nothing**_

**_OH AND SPOILER ALERTS FOR THE BOILING ROCK!! if you don't wanna know yet, skip this one. they aren't major ones but still_**

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_**#11. Memory**_

When Zuko runs his fingers over her wrist, Katara remembers that night by the river and his harsh but still alluring voice whispering "_I'll save you from the pirates_."

When he is sad, Katara always finds him and she presses her hand against his cheek, just as she once did in that cave.

When Zuko smiles that sweet half smile, she remembers the night he made them all tea and couldn't remember the punch-line to the joke he tried to tell.

When he rolls his eyes, Katara remembers the Ember Island Players and their disastrous attempt at portraying their lives.

When one of his arms creeps around her waist, she remembers the first hug she ever gave him and how she was sure he was going to push her away.

When Zuko kisses her, Katara remembers their first one, stolen and quiet, a moment of absolute perfection as they stood in the rain.


	12. Insanity

_**I was partically inspired by a shot in the season 3 trailer, there's a shot of Azula and she looks totally...i have no idea...insane would be the word, i guess...anywho read and enjoy...the next chapter of Firefly should be up by early next week or so.**_

**_Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING!!_**

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_**#12. Insanity**_

The unholy light shines out of Azula's eyes. While they are unfocused and deadly, Katara can also see some deep sadness that no amount of words can heal. The Fire Nation Princess, who was once poised, has now been lost to that dark well of insanity. And for her there will be no return.

She points with those two blood stained fingers, a smile cuts us the side of her face like some stray dagger's slash. Azula has gone over the edge and still she grasps as the world keeps slipping from her.

"How dare you try to take what is mine!" Azula rasps, her voice unsteady for once and dangerously low. "You filthy little peasant! When you are gone, no one will remember you ever existed."

Katara doesn't say a word.

"If my brother hadn't run off to join you, you would all be kneeling before us...You made him break Mai's heart! You made him betray his family! His country! ME! He did all of this for you!" Azula waits for a response that she will never get. "Say something, peasant, your Princess commands it!"

Katara will not bend her will to any one, much less this insane power-hungry princess who has lost all her ties to humanity. So again, Katara remains silent.

"Azula," Zuko's quiet calm voice is behind her. Katara half turns to see him step into the fire's glow. "It's over, you've lost."

"I haven't lost yet, brother!" Azula growls. "You and your peasant will pay..."

Katara takes Zuko's hand. Azula has no power over them. She never has.


	13. Misfortune

_**#13. Misfortune **_

"I know you like my sister."

"Where did you get an idea like that?"

"Oh, I don't know, I just saw you dropping her off at her room."

"That doesn't prove anything, Sokka."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes, really!"

"How?"

"Because...why have you two been spending so much time together? I though you hated each other..."

"We've been...talking..."

"Uh-huh...about what?"

"Things."

"Like?"

"None of your business!"

"It became _my_ business when you were talking to _my_ sister!"

"..."

"Okay, listen here, Pretty Boy, if you hurt my sister in any way shape or form, I will not hesitate in separating you head from your body in the most painful method I can find, got it?"

"I get it,"

"If you hurt my baby sister, what Aang does to your Dad will look like a simple misfortune next to what I'll do to you!"

"Dully noted."

"Good."


	14. Smile

_**this one is very short..and that's all i have to say about that...**_

**_Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING...except the zutaraness!!_**

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**_#14.Smile_**

His smile did strange things to her, Katara realized one day. He didn't smile often but when he did, it turned him into this person that she didn't know, but desperately wanted to.

His smile changed his whole face. It made his elegant bone structure more visible. It made the scar less noticeable because his smile was now the dominate feature on his face. That smile lit up those golden eyes that Katara loved so much.

His smile took away his hostility, his loneliness, his bitterness. His smile was pure warmth and Katara basked in it. Zuko was not one to give that smile willingly. You had to work for it. But there were certain things that brought on that smile.

But when he smiled that half smile, the smile that was just for her, Katara felt her heart flip over.


	15. Silence

**_This was parcially inspired by Taylor Swift's song "Teardrops on my guitar" if you haven't heard it, it is a total Zutarian song for Mai..._**

**_Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHINGDoesn't mean i don't want Dante Basco to tell me he'll save me from the pirates_**

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#15. Silence

"Do you love her?" Mai asks. She manages to keep the shaking out of her voice but she can't stop the squeak on "her". Mai blinks her eyes and holds them closed for an extra beat to rally herself for his answer. When she opens her eyes again, he's standing and he's taller than she remembers.

Mai watches as he takes her hands in his and gives them a gentle squeeze. As much as she would love to give into this, she can't. Because she knows the answer to this question.

"Answer me...please..." Mai does not plead like this. She does not beg or borrow or steal. But he has. He had done all these things. He's begged for her forgiveness, borrowed that time from her and stole her heart long ago. "Do you love her?" Mai asks again, both longing and terrified to know the answer.

But he says nothing. He takes her face between his palms to press a chaste, beloved kiss to her forehead. He gazed down at her, his eyes saying things that his mouth has no words fro. "I'm sorry" his eyes whisper broken as he steps away and out the door.

Mai follows him and stops, clutching the door frame for support. She watches him walk toward _her_ and wrap his arms around _her_ as if he will never let _her_ go. _She_ smiles presses _her_ forehead to his as _she_ murmurs something that makes him smile and whisper back. They are in their own world. A world in which Mai has no part.

Zuko's silence is his answer. It envelops Mai as one lone tear escapes down her cheek and sparkles briefly in the sun before it hits the ground.


	16. Questioning

**_I had some fun with this one. I hadn't done one with Toph in a while...i thought i would be funny!!_**

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the utter Zutara-ness!!_**

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**_#16. Questioning_**

"Why do you have to question everything I say?" Zuko growled after breakfast. He was fed up with Katara's bickering and nagging and complaining. Enough was enough. His patience had an end and he'd reached it.

"Why do you care?!" Katara shot back.

"Why do you rise to the occasion?"

"Well, why do you try to make me so angry?"

"What do I do that makes you so angry?"

"Oh for the love of-" Toph had ambled up, her face pinched under the volume of their voices. She was reaching the end of her patience too. However she went ignored and she was not happy about it.

"Spoiled brat!" Katara screeched.

"Crazy water bender!"

"Back stabbing, hot-headed-"

"Over protective, insane-"

"Don't start with me-"

"Don't tell me what to do!"

"I'll-"

"You'll what-? I'm so scared!"

Just as Katara reached to uncap her water skin at her side and Zuko had taken up a fighting stance, as this was the only way the two of them were able to solve things lately, a seven foot rock wall encircled them. It was only about five feet in diameter, forcing its two occupants to see face to face. They were so close, Katara could count every single one of Zuko's eyelashes.

"And you'll stay there until you two can work out your differences!" Toph shouted. "I am _so_ sick of all the yelling and sniping and snarking! I cannot take anymore! I know you two do it so you can hide how you two feel about each other! So either kiss and be happy or I want to _see_ a dead body!" And she walked away, leaving her captives alone together.

"So...you like me?" Zuko asked mischievously.


	17. Blood

_****_

DUDE!! one paragraph...enjoy!! i'm kinda stuck on the next one Rainbow...if you have any suggestions, let me know

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing but i would like to point out that IROH SHIPS ZUTARA!!**_

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_**#17. Blood**_

Zuko pulls his hand away from her waist. When she does, he realizes that his hand is covered in warm sticky blood. Her blood. He looks down at her, confused. He says her name quietly, but she doesn't hear him. Her skin is ashen and her eyes can't seem to focus. He says her name louder as she begins to fall forward into him, her eyes fluttering shut. He calls her name one last time as they both sink to the ground and the night closes over them.


	18. Rainbow

_**A/N: so i was stuck on this particular theme, but with a little help from Harliquindays, and a fanart piece called "Zutara here together" by Kuro-TheNinthSon on Deviantart i came up with a semi-decent oneshot...enjoy!! GO LOOK AT IT, ITS AWSOME!!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or the art...they belong to far greater people than myself...**_

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_**#18. Rainbow**_

The rain had only just stopped and Katara looked up to see a few drops dripping off the temple's roof. She lay there a moment in her bed, savoring the warmth of the sun on her face and the sweet smell of the rain. She particularly liked watching the rain catching the new light and casting small rainbows on her wall.

However, she knew that it was time to get up. Everyone else was going to be getting up soon and she had to get breakfast started. Besides Aang and Zuko would be finished with training in an hour or so and would be starving. So, she got up and perched in the glass-less window to watch the massive rainbow that arched over the canyon. She let her legs dangle over the edge as she ran her fingers through her hair as it wafted in the breeze.

Katara suddenly heard someone come up behind her. She half turned to see Zuko. "Aren't you and Aang supposed to be training?"

He shrugged; he was the utter portrait of nonchalance. "I thought he could use a day off."

Katara nodded. "I guess so."

"What are you looking at?"

She pointed out her window at the rainbow. "We don't have them very often where I come from."

Zuko leaned against the window next to her. "You don't have rainbows?"

"It never rains." Katara shrugged. "Sometimes you can see them after it snows, that doesn't happen very often though. But we have something better."

"Better?" Zuko snorted.

Katara nodded again. "During the fall and winter the sky and the stars are covered with colors, more colors than any ordinary rainbow. They move and shift like it's an entire river of color in the sky."

"Sounds pretty amazing."

"I'll show it to you one day."

* * *

_that is totally true about it not raining in the southpole!! or the is it the north pole?? well either way, it doesnt matter much, because its too cold to rain in either of those places._


	19. Gray

_**This one i actually really like...weird...anywho, enjoy!! and don't worry, Firefly will be up by next week. i have to write it still.**_

**_Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING!! but i've got nothing funny to add here...oh well._**

* * *

_**#19. Gray.**_

She used to think in extremes. She used to consider everything in the terms of black and white. When she was a child, it was all so easy; you were either good or bad, it was night or day, yes or no. Everything was clear cut when you were a kid and Katara missed that absolutism a great deal these days.

Ever since she met Zuko, she'd hauled that thinking into question. He used to represent everything she hated in the world; the domineering arrogance of the Fire Nation, the violence and all the senseless hatred that ran amuck. But in those few months when she hadn't seen him, those months he stopped looking for them, he'd changed. As to why and when exactly, she couldn't be sure. She had her theories, but kept them to herself. For some reason, he was less angry, less confused, he actually understood their mission. He'd also let his hair grow long, thusly adding a great deal of physical appeal (not that had any kind of effect on her at all).

They used to sit on polar ends of the world with all the destruction, blame and hate stretched between them. He was black as night and she was as bright as day. However, lately Katara could see the good beginning to bloom in the darkness, like stars peeking through the dead of the night. And her soul was not as pure as the virgin snow. It was stained with two black hand prints.

Somehow, over the course of the year, the world had faded from the stark and confining shades of black and white into a hazy middle ground of gray, a place that consisted of confused, twilight or sunrise, and _maybe_...


	20. Fortitude

**_Dude, i am so awsome, 3 in one day!! and I am offically 20 of the way done with the 100TC!! YAY!!_**

**_I think i might do the next one in the whole AU way...i like those!! we'll see_**

**_Disclaimer: Yeah, i own nothing, i am a poor starving college student who still has 3 years to go until she gets her masters in history...yay for me!! ENJOY!!_**

* * *

**_#20. Fortitude_**.

Zuko was trying to meditate. The word attempting was key here. Toph was having a laughing fit over something Sokka had said and the ground was shaking a little as she laughed. Aang was tossing grapes to his flying lemur. Teo and the Duke were racing around the empty rooms and Haru and Katara were talking quietly in the corner.

_Concentrate!_ He ordered himself. _Concentrate_. The small fire before him dwindled a little. He took a deep breath and let it out again as he tried to re-focus his thoughts on the fire and breathing. But Katara's voice always seemed to break through his concentration. He hated to admit it, but she could pull him away from anything. The flames rose just a little higher.

"S-say it again, Sokka!" Toph squealed, her voice choked with laughter. And suddenly, Zuko wanted to know what Sokka had said. Not that it mattered at all to him, but he still wanted to know.

Aang yawned somewhere in the background and that was enough to break Katara out of her conversation with Haru. She ordered them all off to bed. Sokka tried to protest, saying he was older than Katara and could therefore do as he pleased. The complaining suddenly stopped when Zuko heard something akin to a hand smacking him in the back in the back of the head. Zuko let himself smile a little until he heard her footsteps coming up behind him.

She didn't say anything but he heard her smile a little as she placed a gentle hand on his back for a half a beat of a second. He didn't say anything either, he only paused in his breathing for a moment. When she pulled her hand away, Zuko heard her continue on walking toward her room.

He really needed to pick a new time to meditate, he realized with a smug grin.


	21. Vacation

**_So, i did this one in an AU format, Zuko and Katara are getting married and in true Zutara fashion, cannot find a happy medium...i hope you enjoy the snark!!_**

**_DIsclaimer: I OWN NOTHING_**

* * *

#21. Vacation

"How about Fiji?" Zuko asked his fiancée, handing her a brochure. They were holed up in Katara's apartment trying to agree on something. The wedding was less than six months away and a great deal had already been done. While the hall for the reception had been secured and the bridesmaid dressed had been picked out and being complained over ("I look terrible in blue!" Suki had muttered mutinously). Invitations were sent, and a cake had been selected, the only thing left was trying to get the details of "the most important part of getting married" in Zuko's opinion, squared away.

"Fiji?" Katara asked as she flipped through the glossy pages of white sandy beaches and happy frolicking couples in the surf, a considering frown on her lips.

"What's wrong with Fiji?" He asked incredulously as she sank down into his lap.

"It's so cliché!"

"It is not, Hawaii is cliché!"

"But it's hot..."

"Yes, thus the reason for a beach..."

Katara looked over at him. "You hate the beach."

"Yes," He kissed her cheek. "But I love you in your white bikini."

"Is that the only reason for you marrying me? For me in my white bikini?"

"Would you hate me if I said yes??"

"Zuko..."

He rolled his eyes. "Fine, where do you want to go?"

"What about Alaska? On a cruise"

"We are going to be stuck on a boat with a thousand other people on our honeymoon??" Zuko growled, obviously not pleased.

"Alaska is beautiful...look, we'll get to see all the glaciers and all the wildlife; the mooses, the caribou...the whales...Zuko! Please, I love whales you know that!" She pouted and looked up at him with her biggest puppy dog face, sticking her lower lip out so far it almost touched her chin.

"We're going to freeze!"

"Only you."

"So, the fact that I'm going to be your husband in less than six months and the fact that I'm going to freeze on our honeymoon will have no bearing on your decision making process at all?"

"Was that one sentence or two?" She cocked her head to one side in confusion.

"Katara... I'm being serious."

"I can warm you up if you get cold..." She whispered in his ear and pressed a kiss just under his jaw and her arms slipped around his middle. "You know I am very good at that..."

"..."

* * *

**_oh Zu-zu...just can't say no to Katara...i heart it!! oh and i'm having some writer's block when it comes to the next theme: Mother Nature, I have an idea, but i doesn't seem very zutara-ish, that and Trouble Lurking...i feel like it should deal with Sokka or Azula...if you have any ideas, they are appreciated._**


	22. Mother Nature

_**this is just something i thought up in a few seconds, it's almost like the one i planned to put up, but a little different...more Toph...i love her...if you couldn't tell**_

**_oooh and if you're looking for some awsome Zutara AMVs, which is where i go to get ideas, check out Flowerperson and ravenhpltc24, he/she has a wicked general avatar video called "Remember the Name" which was actually shown at the NYC Comic Con this past April_**

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing...i'm too tired to make a joke!!_**

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_**#22. Mother Nature.**_

Mind over matter, Toph repeated the mantra to herself as she pulled the earthen tent up over herself. The night was closing in, Toph could feel the cool breeze rushing up through the canyon and Toph knew. She always knew, she thought to herself as she lay down.

Mind over matter. With a will of iron and the patience of the earth, you could achieve anything and everything you dreamed of. The key was to see the world as it was, not how you wanted to see it.

Mind over matter could change just about anything, but there were something that no amount of mind-power could master. Every time Katara and Zuko were in the same room, Toph's ear drums nearly burst with the sounds of their hearts as they raced in their chests. Despite their differences, he being fire and she being water, this attraction was as unstoppable as the sun racing across the sky. No amount of thought or will could prevent the inevitable.

Mind over matter, Toph grinned to herself as she heard Katara and Zuko sneaking off into the dark of the night, beyond the borders of the Western Air Temple. Not even Mother Nature herself could stop this.

* * *

**_expect the next one up saturday or possibly sunday, Firefly willl probably be up by early next week, but don't expect the chapters to come out as fast as they did before, i'm starting summer classes after memorial day..blah!!I'll try ot keep it updated weekly, and the 100tc will probably be once every so often when i have time...sorry!!_**


	23. Cat

_**So here's #23, i have had a run on themes i am not happy with, the next 6 should be decient**_

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing!!_**

* * *

_**#23. Cat**_

She was like a cat. That was Zuko's initial reaction to being in the same vicinity with Katara for more than a week at a time. He never voiced this opinion to anyone, especially not her. He was, already, not her favorite person and he had a strange feeling that she wouldn't take kindly to any comparisons to animals.

But really, Katara was very cat-like, especially when she prowled around the Western Air Temple, her eyes shifting back and forth as if waiting for an attack. Whenever she looked his way, she would bristle a little and he could see her holding back a hiss. She moved with a feline grace too, he wasn't sure if it was just water bending thing but every move she made melted into the next. No finger twitch, no turn of the head was a waste of energy, it all had a purpose. She would twist and turn and end up on her feet no matter how long and drawn out the sparing would be.

"What are you looking at?" Katara snapped, looking up from her practice with Aang.

Zuko shrugged. "Nothing." Even her name had cat in it..sort of. Kat...it fit her.

"Then look somewhere else!" she turned her attention back to Aang and Zuko could imagine that if she were a cat, her tail would be swinging back and forth in aggitation.


	24. No Time

_**here's #24...#25 should be up when i figure out what im gonna do exactly for it...**_

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing..not Dante Basco or Ben Barnes...sad.._**

* * *

_**#24. No Time**_

Time does not exist, maybe it did, but it is gone now. His hand is ripped away from hers and it's like he's tearing her soul in half with every steps he takes from her. She belongs with him, to him; of the two she isn't sure which it is. There are so many words she wants to say, that she isn't supposed to; _Don't leave!...Be safe!...Come back to me!...I love you..._ But the time to say those things has come and gone, she let them pass her by. Now, all she is left with is the nagging feeling that this is the last time she will ever see him.

He looks over at her, his eyes reflecting everything she is feeling. She can tell he wants to reach out to kiss her, or clasp her hand or hold her just one last time. But that's the problem. Just as Katara thought, their time has come and gone.


	25. Trouble Lurking

_**I had to do this with Sokka, he and Toph are the tie for my second favorite characters.**_

**_Disclaimer: Yeah, i own nothing, i would love to have Sokka's wit, but i dont...oh well...enjoy!!_**

* * *

_**#25. Trouble-Lurking**_

"Sokka! What are you doing?!" Katara shouted from her bed. He'd burst into the room in the middle of the afternoon, boomerang drawn, chest heaving and a wild look in his blue eyes. "What is wrong with you?" Katara ran her hand through her loose curly hair. "I was sleeping!"

"My warrior instincts tell me that something is amiss here," Sokka replied quietly as he narrowed his eyes while took in every detail of the fairly plain open room.

"Sokka! I swear!" Katara pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration and curled her legs under her on the bed.

"Has anyone but you been in the room lately?"

"No, why?"

"Because something is not right here," Sokka peeked under Katara's bed, poking around with the tip of his boomerang.

"Really?"

"Really." Sokka righted himself and tapped his chin with the boomerang. "I sense a disturbance here."

"Well, the only disturbance is you, Sokka! Get out!"

Sokka frowned at his sister. "Scowl if you want, but these warrior instincts are keeping you alive! Remember that!" And he stalked out, slamming the door shut behind him. Zuko took a deep breath and one step out of his hiding place where the door had been before.

He glanced back at the door and waited a second before he loudly exhaled a breath of relief. "Some warrior instinct."

* * *

**_i have the next ten planned and they should be pretty good...and I am working on Firefly as i speak so all of you fans sit tight, the new chapter should be up by tommorrow or the next day!!_**


	26. Tears

**_this one is a sad one...sorry..._**

**_disclaimer: i own nothing at all but the angst..._**

* * *

**_# 26. Tears_**

All around her, tears fall. It's almost like a quiet storm of grief for the life lost. Katara is an easy crier. But for the loss of this particular life, she will not cry. Not because she isn't devastated or heart broken or lost, but because he wouldn't have wanted her to.

He would have told her she'd spend too much time crying over what he'd done to her in the past, which he didn't deserve any of her tears in the first place. So she watches dry-eyed as his friends and remaining family bid him farewell.

The acrobat, Ty Lee, has her head in her hands, the tears leaking through and dripping down her arms. General Iroh has his head bowed with silent tears coursing down in his face in a solemn dignified show of loss. Aang wraps one arm around a devesated Toph and Sokka whispers something to Suki. They have not approached her, not said one word to her because they know that she will break down with them. She won't do that here.

Katara looks across the audience to se Mai, sitting erect and regal. Her pale heart shaped face is void of any emotion at all. She is not crying either. Mai understands and she dips her head in a sign of solidarity.

Katara appreciates the support, but Mai isn't a young widow. She can't understand that Katara had only had three hundred and twenty-seven days with her husband before a bolt of cold fire took him from her. Those three hundred and twenty-seven days may not have been perfect or even easy, but it was the little things that made them extraordinary.

Katara presses one hand to the slight swell of her stomach. He didn't even know. He had no idea that he was going to be a father. And instead of her eyes watering with despair and pain, they fill with tears of joy at Zuko's last gift.

* * *

_**oh snaps...i killed Zu-Zu...gasp. R&R!!**_


	27. Foreign

_**BOILING ROCK SPOILERS!! Don't read if you haven't seen it yet!! if you haven't and you would like to, i have the direct link on my profile**_

_**this one was inspired by the episode "The Headband" when Aang goes to school, and nobody knew how to dance, and i was all, well, Zuko wouldn't know what dancing was either...**_

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing at all_**

* * *

_**#27. Foreign**_

Zuko watched from his corner as Toph started to pound out a steady beat against the ground. She bobbed her head in time to the beat as Aang picked up his flute and began to play. Suki had pulled Sokka up and they were swaying to the music in front of the campfire. None of them discussed what they were going to do, it just sort of happened.

Teo, being the clever kid that he was, had fashioned a sitar out of pieces of wood he'd found and some of Appa's fur and was teaching the Duke to play it. In the opposite corner Hakoda and Chin Sang clapped along as Katara pulled Haru up.

They joined Suki and Sokka in something that Zuko assumed was dancing. He'd heard about it but the closest he'd ever actually come to it was Ty Lee doing back flips or front flips or whatever kind of flips she did. But this was different. The dancers actually moved with the music, almost becoming a part of it. They laughed as the steps grew more complex. Every so often Sokka would spin Suki around and catch her just before she fell.

Suddenly Haru stepped out, leaving Katara all by herself. Zuko expected her to simply sit down, but in true Katara fashion, she surprised him when she marched right up to him and held out her hand. "You wanna dance?" She asked.

"I don't..." her face fell. "...Know how," he admitted quietly. Normally he would never have told anyone that, but something about those blue eyes...

She took his hand anyhow. "I'll teach you."

* * *

**_Chin-Sang is the name of the other guy they rescued from the Boiling Rock, i think this is how you spell his name...but i'm not 100 percent sure._**


	28. Sorrow

_**So this is an continuation of #17. Questioning, where i had Toph trap Zuko and Katara together so they could work out their problems...this is also inspired by AvidZktjo's "Zutara Evidence for the Intellectual Dummy" series Lesson 11. if you haven't already seen it, go do so!!**_

**_I feel like the only way, Zuko and Katara re going to get over their problems is to have one big argument...in which they air all their grievences...so here it is_**

**_#29. Happiness will continue with their discussion._**

**_And a special KUDOS to Phoenix Wingz who gave me my 100th review on the 100TC!! YAYS! Lets give him/her a round of applause!!_**

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing._**

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_**#28. Sorrow.**_

"So...you like me?" Zuko asked mischievously.

"I never said anything like that!" Katara snapped, while she wanted to pace and throw her hands up and make a huge fuss; there just wasn't any room. As long as both of them leaned back against the walls of their confinement, they wouldn't sit on each other. "You've caused us nothing but grief since we met you!"

"But I've changed." He retorted shortly.

Katara snorted. "I'll believe it when I see it."  
"You're seeing it now!" Zuko protested.

"How can I trust that? You seemed like you'd changed before, then you turned around and betrayed _us_!" Katara crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back into the rock wall as far as she could go.

"No, you're mad because I betrayed _you_!"

"You let your sister almost kill Aang!"

"_You_ are angry at me! Not at Azula or anyone else! You're angry at yourself for trusting me! When are you going to stop using that kid as a shield for how you really feel?!"

"Will you shut up about that cave?! I am so sick of thinking about it!"

Something about her words made him speak in a less hostile tone. " 'Thinking about'? You...think about it, still?"

"How can I not?!" Katara glared at him.

"Why?"

"If you must know, you are the only person, besides Sokka, who's seen me cry about my mother!" Katara turned just slightly toward him, with her arms still looped around her knees. "And then you told me about how you lost your mother and I thought...I don't know...that connected us-"

"And then I went and screwed it up, as usual." He replied in a melancholy tone and ran his hand through his hair.

"I can't argue with you there." Katara smirked at him, despite herself.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

"...I'm sorry, if it helps any."

"You've already said that."

"I don't know what else to say."

Katara tapped her chin in thought."Well...You could say that you're the world's biggest, hot-headed, angry jerk who needs some serious help in the right/wrong department."

"I am the world's biggest, hot-headed, angry jerk who needs some serious help in the right/wrong department. Better?"

"A little." And for the first time since Zuko had joined them, Katara smiled at him.

* * *

**_So here are the next few topics:_**

**_#29. Happiness_**

**_#30. Under the Rain_**

**_#31. Flowers_**

**_#32. Night._**

**_I actually have stuff planned for all of them...i just though you all would have fun guess what's comming next! ENJOY!!_**


	29. Happiness

_**so, here's #29..its a continuation of #28 and #17, in which Toph has trapped Zuko and Katara in a stone prison until they wither kill each other or kiss and make up. And since I'm a Zutarian through and through...well, you can draw your own conclusions.**_

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the fluffiness...Squee_**

**_oh and here's another plug: Go read "The World According to Martial" by AStormisBrewing, who is one of my faithful reviewers...its sort of like the 100TC, but its more general and it includes ALL the Avatar characters, so well written...GO READ!!_**

* * *

**_#29. Happiness._**

And quite suddenly, after Zuko's confession that he did indeed have a problem, the tension their prison lessened some. "Does it make you happy that I admitted that I have a problem?" Zuko asked her.

"Maybe." Katara shrugged in an attempt to remain aloof. It really wasn't working too well, though. It might have been more effective if she wasn't inching a little closer with every few moments. It wasn't so much that she wanted to be next him, but that she wanted to be close for a reason that she couldn't really explain.

"Do you have to be so evasive?" He smirked.

"It makes life much more fun that way, don't you think?"

"Not really."

"What makes you happy, then?" Katara wanted to know.

"...I don't know...?" He ran a hand through his hair. "I've never really thought about it. What makes you happy?"

Katara and Zuko were suddenly sitting shoulder to shoulder. "My friends, rains, snow, a full moon, stewed sea prunes, my necklace, my brother, a quiet day at the river; just me and the water, laying in the sun. You?" She gave him a nudge with her elbow.

"...My Uncle, jasmine tea in a tin cup, sunrise practice, turtle-ducks, Toph, summertime...you." He smiled, but not in a way Katara had ever seen before, it was almost..._bashful_.

"I already told you mine."

"No, I mean, you make me happy."

"I do?! Why? I've done nothing but argue with you since you got here."

"I know. When I was back in the Fire Nation, everyone always agreed with me, told me how wonderful I was. But you, you always tell the truth, even if it isn't nice or what I want to hear."

"And that makes you happy?" Katara cocked her head in confusion.

"In a weird way, yeah. It makes me feel like I'm doing something right."

"I think your father has twisted your brain way more than any of us thought."

Zuko actually laughed at this. Really laughed, as if he hadn't laughed in a long, long time and Katara joined him. "See, that's what I'm talking about. That's why i like you..." He suddenly sombered as he realized what he'd said out loud.

"So..." Katara pondered when he'd gone quiet. "you like me?"

* * *

**_So...guys...what do you think?? i couldn't help but keep that line threading through these one-shots..._**


	30. Under the Rain

**_So, here's #30, it was inspired by AvatarKiba1001, one of my faithful reviewers, so here you go, darling!! i hope you like it!!_**

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing...sadly that includes Zuko..._**

* * *

"_Trace the moment, fall forever  
Defense is paper thin  
Just one touch and I'd be in  
Too deep now to ever swim against the current_

_So let me slip away"_ _Dashboard Confessional_

* * *

_**#30. Under the Rain**_

All around Zuko, the thunder rolled and the lightning clashed. For just a moment he stood in the pouring rain on the roof of his family's house on Ember Island, reveling in the power of the world at his feet. Or at least that was how it looked to him at this particular moment.

The moment passed and Zuko began to feel a little silly, standing there on the roof in the middle of a thunderstorm. So, he started to climb down, he'd had enough re-direction practice for tonight, though. He had to get up at the crack of dawn with Aang and be able to teach. He held back a yawn as the stepped underneath the nearest overhang.

As he walked back toward his room, he took note and made sure all the lights were off and everyone was asleep. He passed Toph's room, where he saw her completely disregarding the bed, and had pulled up an earthen tent where she was snoring contently. Zuko simply shook his head at the stubborn little earth bender.

When he passed Sokka's room, Zuko could see the water tribe boy clutching his boomerang to his chest in his sleep. He gave a sudden loud snort and turned over. Sokka rolled off the bed and onto the floor but kept right on sleeping. "No, Momo!" Sokka snarled in his sleep. "Those are my pants! You stay away from them!" Zuko smiled to himself and kept on walking.

He finally came to the open courtyard where Appa lay slumbering beneath a tarp they had rigged up. Momo, of course, was not stealing Sokka's pants, but was curled up on Appa's head. "Who's there?!" there was a sharp demand in the darkness from the other side of Appa's head.

Zuko lifted one hand, cradling a tiny flame in his palm so Katara wouldn't kill him. "It's only me," he called.

"Oh," Katara stepped into the light, running her hand over Appa's nose as she climbed over one of his many feet. "What are you still doing up?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

"It's the storm," Katara admitted as she gestured out to the rest of the exposed courtyard. There was a sudden clap of thunder and she winced.

Zuko smirked. "This is too good."

"What is?"

He walked a small circle around her, smiling to himself. "I never thought I'd see the day."

"What are you talking about?"

"I just find it kind of funny, that's all...a water bender who's afraid of thunderstorms."

"I'm not afraid!" Katara insisted with a stop of her foot. The lightning flashed close to the estate's walls and the following thunder reverberated through the courtyard's floor. Katara paled slightly and scooted closer to Appa. "I just don't like them."

Zuko let the flame go out and held out his hand. "C'mere."

One of Katara's eyebrows rose. "Why?"

"Do you trust me?"

Katara considered his hand for a moment. "...yes..." she replied slowly.

"Then take my hand."

Katara took the offered hand and let him lead her out into the courtyard.

A sudden flash of lightning made her halt. "Are you crazy?! We're going to be hit by lightning!"

He pointed to himself. "Um...in case you forgot, I can re-direct lightning. I've been doing it for about an hour and a half. We'll be fine." He gave her hand a little tug and she finally followed.

At first they stood there, joined at the hand as the rain poured down, not saying a word. Every so often the lightning would flash and the sky would roar; Katara would shrink away just little less every time.

"See," Zuko whispered, just barely audible above the sound of the rain. "It's not so bad."

"No," Katara agreed just as quietly. "It's not." She smiled up at him and he couldn't hear the rain any longer. Zuko's breath hitched in his throat as he suddenly saw just how beautiful she was in the rain. He couldn't believe that he hadn't seen it before. Was it so obvious to everyone else? Lately he'd been seeing the world in a new way, was she part of that, or had he really and truly missed it before? How could he have been so blind?

Sure, Katara was a bit over-protective, a little insane some of the time, completely and totally ruled by her emotions. She said what she felt and didn't care what anyone else thought about it. She'd hated him before, with good reason, and yet...she'd been the first to offer help. The first to hold out her hand and genuinely feel for him.

"What?" She asked.

He shook his head. "N-nothing."

"You're all wet." She was now standing directly in front of him, their hands still linked.

He shrugged. "It doesn't matter..." He trailed off as she reached up with her other hand and brushed a few strands of wet hair off his face. Her fingers traced the line of his cheek, down to his jaw line to rest her thumb on his chin. He stopped breathing. She, on the other hand looked serene as usual. But there was a furrow in her brow as if she were considering something she hadn't before.

"What?" Now it was his turn to ask.

She shrugged. "I never noticed before...but you have such a...beautiful smile."

It was now or never. For what, Zuko wasn't exactly sure, but he couldn't stop himself from leaning down and planting a rain-soaked kiss on her waiting lips. All the while, the rain fell down unaware of the two of them, the world went on; the lightning crashed, the thunder rolled, everyone else slept on. Nothing else mattered as they kissed under the rain.

* * *

**_here are the next few themes:_**

**_#31. Flowers_**

**_#32. Night_**

**_#33. Expectations_**

**_#34. Stars_**

**_#35. Hold my Hand._**


	31. Flowers

_**So this one is really short...sorry about the lack of uploading. I've been busy with summer school and joy, i'm getting my wisdom teeth taken out next week...so expect the next few chapters in a week or so.**_

**_quick convo between Toph and Katara..._**

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing..._**

* * *

_**#31. Flowers**_

"I smell flowers."

"That's nice."

"I didn't smell it before you came in and I smell it now."

"Like I said, that's nice."

"Obviously, you're not getting what I'm saying."

"Well, what are you trying to say, Toph?"

"Let's see; an hour ago you and Zuko left to...um...what did you tell me? Get firewood. Was that it?"

"Go on."

"An hour ago you didn't smell like...firelilies and you weren't skipping around like a mad woman on cactus juice."

"W-what's wrong with that?"

"Nothing, I just want to know what about getting firewood with Zuko made you so happy. That and where you got the firelillies in your hair."

"It's noth-"

"Have you forgotten who you're talking to?! I can hear you lying!!"

"..."

"So are you going to tell me?"

"Nope..."

* * *

**_Anyone want to hazard a guess as to what Katara is thinking during that pause?? R&R peoples!!_**

**_the next themes are: _**

**_#32. Night_**

**_#33. Expectations_**

**_#34. Stars_**

**_#35. Hold my hand_**

**_#36. Precious Treasure_**

**_#37. Eyes._**


	32. Night

_**sorry, this one's really short too, the next one won't be i promise!!**_

**_Disclaimer: I own not a thing!!_**

* * *

_**#32. Night.**_

Nights are sacred.

Nights are for quiet confessions

Nights are for gazing up at the moon and feeling small.

Nights are for whispered "I love you"s

Nights are for pressing hands together palm to palm and feeling the other persons heart beat in your soul.

Nights are for holding and being held.

Nights are for things that no one else needs to know.

Nights are what Zuko and Katara discovered.

* * *

**_I'd give you the next few themes but they haven't changed that much... R&R peoples!!_**

**_much love!!_**


	33. Expectations

_**This one was partically inspired by a piece of fanart by Irrel called "Theater Zutara." It's so cute, go look at it!! She also has this great comic called the "AU" Its way awsome. **_

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing._**

**_If you haven't seen the "Ember Isle Players" clip yet, take a look at my profile and i can help you out there too...you should, its HILARIOUS!!_**

_**

* * *

**__**#33. Expectations.**_

Katara felt a large warm hand slip against hers, fingers lacing through hers, warming her cold hand up to room temperature. She chanced a glance over at him in the darkness of the theater, expecting a sweet half smile or some kind of recognition at his bold proclamation of his affection.

However, Zuko was watching the players on stage as if nothing had changed. Nothing about his face betrayed what he was thinking. Still, every so often, he would give her hand a tiny gentle squeeze.

In all honesty, it was not what Katara would have expected from the Prince of the Fire Nation (well, ex-Prince, but who was keeping track?). He had always seemed so cold, so stoic. Sometimes she wondered if he'd ever been hugged before in his life. But here he was, holding her hand and leaning close enough to her that Katara could feel a few strands of hair on her bare shoulder.

Feeling bold, Katara squeezed his hand back and heard him smile. Then Katara let her attention wander back to the disastrous play and suddenly it didn't seem so bad.


	34. Stars

_**I seriously thought of and wrote this in about five minutes...Zuko and Katara are looking up at the stars...having a litle talk...**_

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing._**

_**

* * *

**__**#34. Stars.**_

"There's the Twin Dragons," Zuko pointed at a cluster of stars that Katara instantly recognized.

"Dragons? We call them Tui and La. The fish that represent yin and yang."

"They look like fish to you?" He cocked his head to one side. "I don't see it."

Katara rolled her eyes. "There's the Hunter with the ice belt." She pointed to a row of three stars making up the belt. "Do you have a name for that one?"

"No, I don't think so...Look, it's the archer."

"Looks like a whale to me." Katara traced the stars with her finger. "See? There's its back and its tail."

"You are so strange."

"So're you."

"Its funny-"

"That you're weird?!"

"No. That we can look up at the same stars and see so many different things."

"I guess that's true. I never thought about it like that."

* * *

**_Let's see how many of you paid attention to Astrology...can you guess all the star constellations I referenced??_**

**_The next few themes are:_**

**_#35. Hold my hand_**

**_#36. Precious Treasure_**

**_#37. Eyes_**

**_#38. Abandoned._**

**_#39. Dreams_**

**_#40. Rated...(What does that mean?)_**


	35. Hold My Hand

**_So, my friend had a baby on Friday!! this is what partically inspired me!! I hope you guys like it because it's going to be the last one for a while. I'm getting my wisdom teeth taken out tomrrow and i won't be human for a few days..._**

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing...but the ideas._**

* * *

"**I love thee, I love but thee  
With a love that shall not die  
Till the sun grows cold  
And the stars grow old."  
by William Shakespeare**

* * *

_**#35. Hold My Hand**_

The sun was rising silently in the East when Zuko was finally allowed to see his wife. Finally after pacing and waiting for half a day and the rest of the night. He passed through the double doors quietly, nodding to both of the maids that excused themselves from his presence. On the far side of the room, he could make out Katara's still form. She suddenly sat up as she saw him, running a hand through her messy curls that cascaded down her slim shoulders. "It's you..." she murmured softly as he sat next to her.

"Of course it's me..." he leaned over and kissed her forehead. "You're all right?" He wanted to know as he examined her face, but all he found there was a proud yet tired relief. "And the baby?"

Katara reached over to the crib beside the bed. She scooped up the tiny sleeping bundle who was only a little more than a foot in length. A little tuft of black hair erupted from the top of the blankets. "Meet your daughter." Katara pulled back a little of the blanket to reveal a minute brown face and a tiny hand pressed against her little chest.

Zuko reached over and pulled the blanket back a little and her eyes opened, revealing a pair of bright blue eyes that matched Katara's. "She's so small." He whispered softly as not to scare the child.

Katara nodded. "She is, but she's two weeks early, so, it's to be expected. You want to hold her?"

"I don't know..."

"Oh, come on Zuko, she's your daughter, you'll have to hold her eventually," Katara rolled her eyes as she motioned for him to hold his arms out. He did as he was ordered and Katara eased the baby into the crook of his arm. "There, now support her back with your other hand..."

Zuko did so and smiled more to himself than one else. He looked down at the baby and she had squirmed a little when her mother had handed her off, but now she was quiet. She was watching him with her tiny brow furrowed, in confusion he imagined. After the last few hours being handled and held by women...no wonder she was confused.

He'd never really been around children. The closest he'd come was that boy in the Earth Kingdom, Lee. But that boy was at least eight or nine, this was his daughter..._his_...he looked over at Katara, who was watching them both with a wide, sleepy smile...this little girl was _theirs._This was completely different. He couldn't mess it up, he couldn't run or hide. This was his daughter...What if...Katara decided it had been a mistake? What if his daughter hated him? There was no way he could live with himself if that were to happen.

The baby worked her arm free of its swaddling and instantly, Zuko pressed one fingertip to the palm of her hand. There were no hesitations at all as her entire hand enclosed over his 

finger. She looked up at him, her mouth making an "O". And quite suddenly, with the little bundle of warmth pressing against his chest, that everything was going to be all right.

"She needs a name." Zuko said quietly to Katara. He looked over to see his wife fast asleep. So, instead, Zuko looked down at his daughter. "How about 'Sora'?" He asked her. She was going to have to live with the name, he thought. It was only fair to get her input.

The baby only yawned and closed her eyes. Still she kept a hold on her father's finger. Zuko smiled and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Sora, it is."

* * *

**_Here are the next few themes:_**

**_#36. Percious Treasure_**

**_#37. Eyes_**

**_#38. Abandoned_**

**_#39. Dreams_**

**_#40. Rated (anybody know what this means??)_**

**_#41. Teamwork_**

**_#42. Standing Still_**

**_#43. Dying_**

**_#44. Two Roads_**

**_#45. Illusion_**


	36. Precious Treasure

_**For this one, my first one back since...June?? i decided to make it a little more like the show with a kinda not happy zuko and not-happy Katara, i think it's kinda funny**_

**_I own nothing at all!!_**

_**

* * *

**__**#36. Precious Treasure**_

"You're going to cut yourself," Katara noted as Zuko was flipping his dagger over and over, catching its blade and handle alternatively.

"I'm not," Zuko replied, not taking his eyes still trained on his dagger.

"Fine," Katara grabbed the last of the laundry to take down to the stream. "Just don't get blood over the clean sheets; it's your turn to fold."

"Fine."

Not ten minutes into her washing, Katara heard Zuko hiss in pain. She rolled her eyes as she saw him walk out into the sunshine, holding his hand above his heart.

"I thought you weren't going to cut yourself," Katara snorted as she dunked one of Sokka's shirts into the stream.

Zuko only glared at her.

Groaning, Katara hung the soaking wet shirt on the line she'd rigged up when they'd first come to the Western Air Temple. She stood and pulled enough water from the stream to cover hand her hand completely. "Let me see."

"It's fine." Was Zuko's stubborn reply.

"Give it!" Katara snarled. "I don't want to give blood all over the temple. Let me see it."

Zuko finally conceded and showed his hand. Katara muttered things under her breath about the horrible bandage job. When her palm was glowing, she pressed it to Zuko's hand, watching the cut heal. "What's the dagger made of? It's not metal, is it? The cut seems to be too clean for just a dagger."

Zuko produced the dagger. "It's pearl." He handed it to her handle first when she'd finished healing his hand. "My Uncle gave it to me."

"'Made in the Earth Kingdom'?" Katara looked curiously up at him.

"The other side."

" 'Never give up without a fight.' How very you." Katara handed it back. When he didn't say much else. "You must miss him..."

"I don't even know where he is."

"Doesn't mean you don't miss him any less."

"No," Zuko said slowly, carefully. And Katara saw the side of his mouth quirk up. "I guess not."

"Okay, you're healed. I need you to dry these clothes and help me fold." Katara brushed her hands against her sides, back to business.


	37. Eyes

_**I thought it was only fair to give Zuko the same treatment i gave Katara. I made her all giddy over his smile (Well who wouldn't?) and so i gave Zuko this one-shot!!**_

**_I own nothing at all, enjoy!!_**

___**#37. Eyes**_

You can tell a lot about a person by their eyes. It's no wonder they're called 'windows to the soul'. You can see if someone is annoyed or scared or upset, even if the rest of their face says otherwise. Over the years, Zuko had become very good at reading eyes. In his home, it was considered rude to show emotion in public, and still one had to know who was mad at whom or whom hated whom.

And so he found it odd that the Avatar and his friends were so...open with their thoughts and emotions. The two water tribe members more than most. Katara was always laughing or smiling, she was always putting a reassuring hand on the Avatar's small shoulders or offering some kind of comfort to Teo or the Duke.

But even when she was being quiet, Katara was still the easiest person to read. Her eyes changed color with her emotions; dark blue, almost the color of the eastern sky at sunset, when she was angry, violet when she was content, pale blue, like the shallow end of a pool, when she was sad. And she and Zuko sparred, the color changed to a strange shade of dark violet. That was something Zuko couldn't quite understand.

"Sugar Queen will never admit it," Toph told him. "Never ever."

"Admit what?"

Toph groaned and sauntered away to leave Zuko to ponder the mystery of Katara's ever changing eyes.


	38. Abandoned

**_This one i thought of during the finale, i just thought Mai and Aang would have understood each other really well_**

**_I own nothing but the Zutara-ness!!_**

* * *

_**#38. Abandoned**_

Aang sat down on the edge of the crumbling foundation of the Fire Nation Palace. He leaned his head back against the wall, watching his friends laughing and enjoying themselves. Unfortunately, the new Fire Lord and Aang's best friend strolled out into the sunshine among the rest of the surviving party. He felt his stomach drop into his stomach as Katara stood up on her tip toes to kiss Zuko's cheek.

Suddenly Aang noticed the tall gloomy girl wander to his hiding spot and sat down. She turned slightly and looked him over. Finally she asked in her almost sleepy voice: "You, too?"

In her grey eyes, Aang saw the same sort of pain that made his stomach turn and his throat ache whenever he saw Zuko and Katara together.

Aang sighed. "Yep."

"Sort of feels like someone left you out in the rain, huh?" she noted.

Aang nodded. "Like maybe I'm going to rust."

Mai agreed. "Yep."


	39. Dreams

**_I guess this one is kind of a continuation of #21, Vacation, but you could read them both seperately._**

**_I own nothing at all!!_**

* * *

**_#40. Dreams._**

The day was everything she wanted and nothing like she expected. The ceremony went according to plan; Suki didn't kill herself because of her dress, nobody fell (much), there wasn't any mocking (for the most part), and they both said "I do" at the right moment.

As they walked (really ran) back down the aisle-way, Zuko pulled her close and asked; "So, this marriage thing isn't so bad, huh?"

"We've been married for what? Thirty seconds?"

"It's been a good thirty seconds, you have to admit."

"Pretty good," she agreed.

"But the best is yet to come…" He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"We still have the reception you know."

Zuko groaned. "Can't we just skip it? Please?"

"It'll be fun! There'll be lots of food and alcohol….and cake….you like cake." She patted his hand. "Trust me; it'll be like a dream…."


	40. Rated

_**For this one, i must give the credit to blackatspinellikins for her general idea. I did a few alterations but it's AU, i hope you like it because i'll continuing it in #s79 and 87. ENJOY!!**_

**_I own nothing!!_**

_**

* * *

**__**#40. Rated**_

"So, on a scale of one to ten, what do you rate him?" Katara asked Suki, pointing to a tall, blonde surfer type who was leaning against the bar. It was "Girl's Night" and Katara and her room-mate Toph were out with their friend Suki for a night on the town.

"I happen to have a boyfriend, Kat! Your brother, nonetheless!" Suki took a sip of her margarita, wincing at the taste of the liquor. "You know, they add way too much tequila to these!"

"Yeah, so?! Just rate him!" Katara elbowed her. "Come on!" She downed the rest of her beer; it had been a long day.

Suki groaned. "...sevenandahlf..."

"What was that?" Toph sat down on Katara's other side, a beer mug bigger than her head in tow.

"I said seven and a half!"Suki repeated.

"Six!" Toph shouted and took a swig.

"What about you, Kat?"

Katara tapped her chin. "I'm gonna go with five. It's the hair. He obviously tried to make it look like that!"

"Oh so you like them 'ole natural'?" Toph asked.

"I hate a guy who spends more time in front of the mirror than I do," Katara replied coolly.

Suki rolled her eyes. "You're so picky, it's no wonder you're single."

Toph snorted into her beer. Then, suddenly she sat straighter and squinted toward the bar. "Hey, Katara! What do you think of him? He's kinda cute. " She pointed to the dark haired guy leaning against the bar, taking the place of the surfer dude.

Katara squinted as well. "Crap, he just moved behind a pillar. I'm going for a refill, I'll be back." She looped her finger through her beer mug's handle and sauntered off toward the bar.

As she left, Suki turned to Toph, "You know as well as I do who that is, Toph."

"Uh, yeah...why else do you think I asked her?" Toph grinned.

"You're evil and I love it! Suki clinked her glass to Toph's and sat back to watch the fun.

Katara edged in close to the bar, slipping between sweaty bodies to lay her five dollar bill on the bar. "Beer!" She shouted over the beat of the music. Casually, she ran her hands through her loose hair to check out the guy to her left. Suki insisted that Katara leave her hair down, it made her 'mysterious', apparently.

Several things happened all at once; the bartender slapped the beer down in front of her, slid the five dollars out of her hand, the mystery guy turned and Katara nearly fell over with the shock. The hot guy that Toph told her to check out was her brother's room-mate, Zuko. Oh, Toph was so dead.

"Katara?" He called, unsure.

Katara turned back to him, laying on a surprised smile. "Oh, hey, Zuko? What are you doing here?"

"I'm waiting for Sokka and Aang...we're going to celebrate Aang's twenty-first birthday."

"Oh, so, you're going to give him the worst hang-over of his life? Some friends..."

Zuko grinned slightly at this. "Who are you here with?"

"Suki and Toph..." She pointed over to where the pair of them were laughing their heads off. They were both sooo dead. Then, out of the corner of her eye, Katara saw a familiar face and she scooted closer to Zuko. "Ca-can you do me a favor?"

"What kind of favor?" One eyebrow rose in suspicion and yet, he hadn't pulled away.

"Pretend to be my boyfriend. I just saw my ex heading this way and I really don't want to talk to him..."

"What exactly does that entail?"

"Just do it, okay?!"

"Yeah, okay," Without another word, he slipped one arm around her waist, one hand on her lower back and Katara immediately regretted wearing the dark blue halter handkerchief top. Zuko, on the other hand, was enjoying this way too much as he wound his fingers in soft spirals on her skin. "You know, you could stop looking so freaked out...it might help us sell this."

Katara shot him a dirty look and rolled her eyes. So, she rested one hand on his shoulder and the other she slipped just under his jaw, making him look down at her. She smoothed her frazzled nerves into a sweet smile. "Better?"

Zuko smiled wolfishly. "Much. So, not that I'm not enjoying this, but how long do we have to do this?"

She peeked over his shoulder to see Jet still coming, but now he'd spotted her. Panicking, Katara grabbed hold of Zuko's face. "Kiss me, please!"

"Wait, I-" But he didn't get a chance to protest because Katara was pressing her mouth to his.

Being the stupid guy that he was; he kissed her back. His arm tightened around her waist, hauling her closer. Despite his rather...excellent make-out skills, Katara tried to remain objective about this. But the way his hands moved down to her hips and the way his lips smoothed over hers made her almost forget that it was all for show.

"Katara?!" A shocked voice hissed near her. She tore herself away for a minute and peeked naively over her shoulder, sure that she looked fluster because she really was. Jet was staring at them, he vaguely resembled that famous painting, the one of the guy just screaming.

"Oh...," Katara giggled. "Hi, Jet."

"Who-I...what?"

"Is this guy bugging you, Kat?" Zuko played along and pressed a kiss to her neck, making Katara shiver involuntarily.

"No," She muttered. "He's leaving."

Jet looked them both over, a snarl forming on his lips. He turned to go but gave them one last look and a sharp word that found its mark: "Bitch..." And disappeared into the crowd.

"What did he say?" Zuko wanted to know.

"Nothing," She shook her head. "Now, where were we?"

"Just about here..." He slid one hand up to her cheek and pulled her close.

"Katara?!" Four voices all chorused in unison and Katara rolled her eyes. She turned to see Sokka, Suki, Toph and Aang all staring at them both.

"What?!" She snapped.

"Zuko?!" Sokka snarled. "You and my baby sister??"

"I'm twenty-three Sokka, I'm not a baby anymore!"

Toph was too busy laughing against Aang's shoulder to say anything at all. When she would recover herself, she'd look from Sokka to Zuko to Katara and start all over again. Aang simply looked dumbfounded and Suki was trying to consol Sokka, who was still steaming.

"Sorry," Katara whispered to Zuko. "Didn't mean to get you in trouble."

Zuko shrugged and then smiled. "It's kind of fun to make Sokka mad."

"It is at that," Katara returned the smile.

"Come on, Katara," Toph grabbed her hand. "It's still 'Girl's Night', besides I don't want to see Aang puke his guts out because he can't hold his liquor."

"Hey! That's not true!" Aang shouted.

"Let's see you down a few shots of Jack and then we'll talk!" Toph shouted back as she grabbed Suki.

"So, Katara," Suki nudged her as they moved back to their table, leaving the boys to drink. "How _was_ that kiss on a scale of one to ten?"

"Ten. Easy." Katara twisted around and shot Zuko a sly smile.


	41. Teamwork

_**I seriously wrote and thought of this one in about 2 minutes...it's just a conversation one between Katara and Zuko and then Aang sticks his nose in their awsome bickering match...when i put two sentances on one line, i meant that they spoke at the same time.**_

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing at all_**

_**

* * *

**__**#41 Teamwork**_

"Watch where you're bending that water!"

"Well, watch how big the fire's getting!"

"Don't tell me what to do!"

"I'll tell you all I want!"

"Can't you two just get along?!"

"Shut it, Aang!" "You don't know what you're talking about!"

"Isn't there something you could do together?!"

"Like what?!" "Are you crazy?!"

"You two could make tea…"

"Tea?" "Sokka must have given him some cactus juice!"

"Yeah, Katara bends the water and Zuko heats it up!"

"…" "…"

"I guess we could give it a try…?"

"Fine, just don't burn me!"

"As long as you don't try to drown me!"


	42. Stand Still

_**Sort of a song fic to 30 Seconds to Mars' song "From Yesterday" THe moment i heard this song i immediately thought of Zuko and i couldn't pass up using it!!**_

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing all, not even the music...i'm pretty sure I'm tone-deaf_**

* * *

**_#42. Standing Still_**

_He's a stranger to some  
And a vision to none  
He can never get enough,  
Get enough of the one_

_For a fortune he'd quit  
But it's hard to admit  
How it ends and begins  
On his face is a map of the world  
(A map of the world)  
On his face is a map of the world  
(A map of the world)  
_

There isn't anywhere for him to go. He stands on the edge of the Western Air Temple caught between his need for forgiveness and longing for a place in this topsy-turvy world. There is no pride now, no arrogance, and no absolute certainty to back him up.

They could reject him…she could reject him. They could kill him, but nothing would destroy him if he could never earn her respect and forgiveness, to earn her delicate trust he destroyed. She as the cure for this burning curse of guilt, her soothing blue eyes, gentle hands, sweet voice.

He would stand there all day if need be. He would give them every scrap of himself, every bit they needed or wanted or demanded. It would all be worth it if she would simply smile, hold out her hand and say: "Come on,"

He held up his hand: "Hi. Zuko here…."


	43. Dying

**_Nothing much happens in this one...its kind of a drabble actually but i still like it...ENJOY!!_**

**_i own nothing but the zutara-ness_**

* * *

**_#43 Dying_**.

Each of them could point to a moment and say when the change occurred. They could look back and see the point of metamorphosis and could then see how it affected the choices afterward like the way two small stones dropped into a still pool of water creating ripples that touch and bounce off one another.

For each of them there was a moment of death and re-birth. It's true that we have many re-births, many deaths. Every day, we change but there is a pivotal death and re-birth. The one moment that changes our destinies forever.

Zuko reached his death when he fell ill. When the fever broke he was reborn. For Katara, her death came when she was betrayed by Zuko and came alive again with the loss of her innocence.

Now, the both of them stand on the brink of a new death; the death of their childhood. So that they may be reborn into a life filled with more than dark endless days of terror. They will be reborn into the bright future.


	44. Two Roads

**_Another semi- song fic to Dana Glover's "Thinking Over". It seemed oddly appropriate for the Zutara 100 TC_**

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing at all!!_**

* * *

_**#44. Two Roads.**_

_I've been searching for a reason_

_And I'm running out of time_

_I can feel that it's the season_

_It's time to make up my mind_

_And I can't really tell you what I'm gonna do_

_There are so many thoughts in my head_

_There are two roads to walk down and one road to choose_

_So I'm thinking over the things that you've said_

_Thinking over the things..._

* * *

It's an unspoken charge; I have to choose one of them. Either choice will offend (one more so than the other). Either choice will result in a broken heart and I don't want to hurt anyone.

One road is sunny and joyful. I can see it now; smooth and well worn. It's as familiar to me as my own hand. I can hear the laughter, even as I stand at the crossroads. This is the path of least resistance; smoothed by affection and open expressions of love and devotion. I would be happy here, everyone knows it.

The second path is rockier; with hills and dells, the occasional rough patch. There are sections that is darker but then the sun breaks through the trees casting a pool of intense sunshine that basking in it seems almost sinful. It wouldn't be easy or straightforward. But at the same time, I embrace the challenge, the struggle, the excitement and passion. Few would understand this choice when I could have the other…and yet…

Which do I choose? Whose heart do I break?


	45. Illusion

_****_

I realized that i freakin love one-sided Maiko...i do. It's a guilty pleasure. but really i think it's because we've all been there...

that and i loved Mai's line in the Boiling Rock; "You miscalculated, Azula. I love Zuko more than i fear you..." BURN!!

And then some clever zutarian said: "You miscalculated, Bryke. We love Zutara more than we fear canon!" DOUBLE BURN!!

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing at all_**

* * *

_**"But looking at it she saw that it never was the flesh and blood of her dreams. Just something she had grabbed to drape her dreams over." Zora Neale Hurston, "Their Eyes Were Watching God"**_

* * *

Now she'd done it, Mai realized as she sat there with Ty Lee in the darkest, dankest cell in the prison. Mai leaned her head back against the brick wall and sighed deeply.

She felt rather than saw Ty Lee look over at her. "Did you mean what you said?" Ty Lee asked in a small and strangely unconfident voice. Mai chanced a glance at her with a start, realized that Ty Lee was afraid. Ty Lee was never afraid, not like this. Her slim shoulders slumped and her soft grey eyes were filled with un-shed tears.

"Mean what?" Mai wondered, keeping the roughness from her voice.

"That you love Zuko more than you fear Azula?"

Mai sighed again and pressed her spine against the brick. She looked down at her hands as she turned the question over and over in her mind. For so long she'd admired Zuko from afar; he was handsome, honorable, brave sweet. He was a prince, too. He was what everyone else wanted. Mai had him, or at least until a few weeks ago, she thought she did. She replayed every kiss, every touch in the past season. To her great disappointment, Mai now knew that she had only been a passing fad. Something had changed Zuko during his journeys and Mai had refused to see it.

Azula _had_ told Mai that Zuko had been thrown into prison in Ba Sing Se with that water bender….Kaya…Kana…something to that effect…. Mai remembered what she looked like though; slender, chocolate colored skin, thick wavy hair and a pair of fierce blue eyes. She was younger than Mai by maybe a year, year and a half? She was a beauty, no doubt, and would continue to become more beautiful in the years to come.

Mai almost laughed to herself then. How could she have been so blind? Zuko had taken on the prince illusion in order to put the water tribe peasant behind him. And now he he'd gone back to her.

"So…" Ty Lee prompted. "Do you?"

Mai looked at Ty Lee and smiled. "I may love him, but I doubt he loves me the way I do him."

"I don't know about that…" Ty Lee tried to be reassuring, putting her small hand on Mai's shoulder.

Mai shrugged. "You didn't see the look in his eyes. He loves someone else. Not me. It was just an illusion."

* * *

**_So, i thought i'd go ahead and give you the next 10..thats right count them 10 themes!! considering i'm moving to school in like twelve hours and i have no idea when the next ones will be written_**

**_#46. Family_**

**_#47. Creation_**

**_#48. Childhood_**

**_#49. Stripes_**

**_#50. Breaking all the Rules_**

**_#51. Sport_**

**_#52. Deep in Thought_**

**_#53. Keeping a secret_**

**_#54. Tower_**

**_#55. Waiting_**


	46. Family

So, sorry about the delay guys...university classes are eating at my life and i have NO TIME AT ALL!! i havent' even uploaded any of "The Gift" in like 3 weeks...dorm life is way exciting but exhausing...you never get five minutes to your self...

Enjoy this tiny little one-shot, i can't say when the others will be written or even thought of...i'll be more regular when i get the hang of things around here..**_.._**

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing at all!!_**

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_**#46. Family.**_

_Think of turtle-ducks,_ Zuko told himself. _Think of…war…and traveling with Uncle…yeah, think about Uncle. Anything but the fact that she's asleep next to me and that a lock of her hair is touching my cheek….anything but that…DAMNIT!_

Zuko shifted his weight just a slight bit and then found himself looking at an even worse situation. Katara nuzzled (yes! NUZZLED) her face closer into his neck and secured her arms around him.

_Come on Zuko! Think about how she's supposed to be like a sister…like Azula…okay, yes, keep going with that: a sister like Azula, who's nasty and vindictive and crazy and-oh, crap…she's waking up. How in the world am I going to explain this??_

Katara opened her eyes and blinked a few times, as she tried to figure out where she was. She glanced up at him and he tried to smile as reassuringly as he possibly could.

It started innocently enough, really. In the chaos after their defeat of Azula, they'd ended up in the only safe place Zuko would let Katara sleep in: his. They were talking and then she closed her eyes and latched herself onto him and he couldn't find it in his stupidity to disentangle himself. He rather enjoyed her warm weight and matched her even steady breaths with his own. Before she fell asleep, Katara had let her hair loose and Zuko ran his fingers through it as she slept…it was like their own private heaven. And now that she was awake, she'd remember that she didn't belong to him, or with him.

But Katara smiled right back and closed her eyes again. She moved her hands from around his chest and slipped one under the hem of his shirt. At first, Zuko wasn't sure if she knew who she was sleeping on, but then she smiled again in her sleep and murmured his name in his ear.

Chancing a slow and painful death, Zuko tenitively leaned forward and brushed a kiss over her forehead.


	47. Creation

_**HI guys!! sorry i'm not updating like i usually do, but school is eating at my life right now. i have #49 and 50 done but not ready to publish, so please be patient, i am so so so sorry to drag it out like this!!**_

**_MUCH LOVE: THEREDPENOFDOOM87_**

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing at all._**

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_**#47. Creation.**_

Katara watched her favorite show with awe. She had seated herself down in the hallway, peering into Zuko's studio. Beside her, her cup of tea steamed away as Zuko picked up a paintbrush and went to work.

He always talked about his projects like they caused him no end of grief. He would gripe and snarl about the blank canvas that would haunt his dreams. Sometimes he would sit and stare at the canvas until, like today, he'd suddenly drop everything and run to his studio and start working.

Like today, Zuko had been in the middle of a conversation with her when he suddenly jumped up and disappeared into his lair-like studio.

And while he took up different brushes and added color after color, Katara watched as this new piece of art was born.

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_**here are the next few themes:**_

**_48. Childhood- 0 percent done_**

**_49. Stripes-95 percent done_**

**_50. Breaking the Rules-95 percent done_**

**_51. Sport_**

**_52. Deep in Thought_**

**_53. Keeping a secret- 5 percent done_**

**_54. Tower-10 percent done_**

**_55. Waiting_**

**_56. Danger ahead-i already have a prompt from Kiba for this one but i haven't written any of it yet_**

**_57. Sacrifice_**


	48. Childhood

_I actually thought of and wrote this one in about ten minutes...i hope you guys like it!! I think i'm going to try to update every sunday night...hopefully. I have a bunch of stuff due this week and then i'm going away for the weekend, so we'll see_

_Dislcaimer: I OWN NOTHING AT ALL!!_

_BTW: Kaito means generally: _"sea, ocean"

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_**#48. Childhood.**_

"Zuko, he's not going to break, just put him down!" Katara hissed to him. But Zuko looked down at his son and frowned slightly. Kaito frowned back at his father, his little brown brow furrowing in an incredibly similar expression to his father's. But then he reached up with one tin, pudgy, chocolate hand and pressed it to Zuko's cheek as if to echo his mother's sentiments.

But Zuko couldn't. Today, Kaito wanted to walk, his first attempt at independence that neither Katara nor Zuko had any part of. Today, Kaito was nearly a year old and soon he would be two, then three, then seven, then thirteen and then he would be grown and would have to face the harsh world that would perhaps not accept him. Zuko couldn't do that to his only child.

"Come on, love. He wants to walk…" Katara reasoned, placing a gentle placating hand on his shoulder. She leaned over and tweaked her son's nose. "Look at him…he's ready." She slipped the baby's warm weight from Zuko's arms and walked a few feet from him. Katara knelt down and set Kaito on his feet on the springy grass of the private gardens. The child looked up at his mother once and held tightly onto her red silk kimono sleeve.

"Go on," she whispered to the child, taking his hands and letting them grip her fingers. "Go to Daddy," Her face full of mirth and wonder, lit up even further as she looked over her only son's shoulder to her husband. "Go to Daddy," she repeated. "Call him, Zuko. He'll come."

Zuko knelt down too and held out his arms, even as he desperately wanted his son to refuse, and called. "Kaito…Kaito, c'mere!"

At the sound of his father's voice, Kaito smiled and let out a little laugh and let go of Katara's fingers. He tottered the first few steps and then stopped, held himself erect, and then took four sure, steady strides, like a march, into Zuko's awaiting arms. Zuko swept the boy up and held him up.

"Good job, kid," he admitted and the boy's warm arms circled his neck and Zuko breathed in that faint baby smell that was fading as quickly as the turning summer leaves. Soon fall would be here and a part of Kaito's childhood wouldn't be. Kaito walked today, what could tomorrow bring?


	49. Stripes

_So this one is something i've always wanted to do...make out with a hot boyfriend in a department store dressing room!! This one is obviously AU but i love it!!_

_Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING AT ALL!!_

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_**#49 Stripes.**_

Katara tapped her foot impatiently as her boyfriend took forever in the dressing room. "It's only four shirts! What's taking so freaking long?!"

"…I look stupid," came the muffled reply.

Katara rolled her eyes. For someone as good looking as her boyfriend, he was so incredibly self-conscious. Well, his scar didn't help much, but Katara never worried about it, so neither should he. So, in a calmer, reassuring voice, the one she usually reserved for taking Toph shopping, she tried again. "I'm sure they look fine. Come on…please, I want to see…"

From behind the door there was an uncomfortable sigh and then it opened. Zuko stepped into the hallway, dark head hung in defeat.

Katara cocked her head as she observed. Orange was really not Zuko's color. She nodded in agreement. "Maybe the black and red striped one?"

"Why do I have to try them on?" he griped as he brushed past her and back into the changing room.

"Because," she announced to the now closed door. "You always buy shirts without trying them on and they never fit! They make you look sloppy!"

"Why do you care?"

"Because I have to be seen in public with you and all the other girls will know that I allow you to buy your own clothes… It's a girl thing, you wouldn't understand."

"Apparently!" Was the slightly miffed reply.

"Oh, come on, Zuko…." Katara sighed. Jeez, he was so sensitive sometimes. "Fine, you want to know the truth-?"

Zuko opened the door and was still pulling the shirt over his rather lovely well-toned stomach. He blushed a little and held out his arms as if to say: "Well?" Red and black were so his colors… Katara grinned to herself and nodded. She checked over both shoulders to find that the dressing room was utterly devoid of any other people, including employees. She slipped in and shut the door lightly behind her, a wry smile on her lips.

"Are you serious?" Zuko hissed, his blush increasing so much it matched the red on his shirt. "You are not thinking what I think you are, are you?!"

"Maybe…."Katara mused and wrapped her arms around his slim waist, letting her fingers wander up the hem of his shirt. "But do you want to know the truth I was talking about before?"

"Of why you want to dress me?!" Still slightly miffed , she noted.

"Because," she kissed his chastely once and pulled back. Katara took his much larger hands in hers and hitched them on her belt loops. "I want to make all those other girls jealous…"

"Sounds like a good reason to me-" he was cut off mid-sentence with another kiss and this one was not so chaste.


	50. Breaking all the Rules

_**So, i've had this one sitting around for a while and i tried to make it hot...not something i normally do, but i'm trying to expand a little and try new things with my writing.**_

**_But I am now half way through with the 100TC and this story has more hits than both "Atonement" and "FireFly" put together!! Not quite as many reviews as "Firefly", but it's getting there!! ALL THANKS TO YOU GUYS!! MY FAITHFUL REVIEWERS!! Things are a little calmer now, i'm getting into a rhythm here and i'll be updating more regularly, i think!!_**

**_Disclaimer: I own nothing at all._**

_**

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**__****__**#50. Breaking the Rules.**_

Katara knew she was breaking all the rules by being here with him. Every single one. But now she didn't care. She'd let go of right and wrong a long time ago because when she was with him, it was all so wrong and yet so completely right.

She could see the glow of the campfire from the ledge but she couldn't (or wouldn't) make her feet move any closer to it. Zuko had her pressed against the temple wall and was kissing her as if it were the very last time. Really, Katara had very little experience with kissing, but somehow they found a rhythm that thrummed through her very bones. Suddenly , his lips left hers and explored the soft skin under her ear. She let out a little giggle and made little circles on the back of his neck as she pressed herself closer. As his hands, which were positioned around her waist, and his mouth became more insistent, Katara felt her back arch and let out a tiny shudder.

"What's wrong?" He whispered and his smoldering voice fanned the flames higher and higher.

"Nothing…." She assured him with an undertone of her own. And then a thought skittered across her mind like a cloud across the moon. "Maybe everything," his face fell and he stepped away from her. Katara reached out and drew him back to her, his chest pressed to hers, her forehead at his chin and her hands running through the black silk that was his hair. "But all I know is; I don't ever want you to stop…"

Zuko smirked her favorite crooked grin that set her normally tepid blood on fire. And then before another second had passed, he had slipped his hand around the back of her neck and was kissing her again. They were more and more intertwined, so much so that she could hardly tell where he ended and she began. _Oh well_, she thought, _Rules are meant to be broken._

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_here are the next ten themes:_

_51. Sport_

_52. Deep in thought_

_53. Keeping a secret_

_54. Tower_

_55. Waiting_

_56. Danger Ahead_

_57. Sacrifice_

_58. Kick in the head_

_59. No Way Out_

_60. Rejection_


End file.
